SSG David Bahten of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) was getting used to being runner-up.
Bahten has racked up several second place finishes – earning the position multiple times at the annual Inter-Service Rifle Championships, National Rifle Association (NRA) Nationals and the prestigious National Trophy Individual Match held during the National Matches at Camp Perry.
In fact, Bahten, 35, of Phenix City, AL, has enough second places to be in the USAMU’s Service Rifle Hall of Fame – twice. But at the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s (CMP) 2024 National Matches, he broke his streak by earning the overall win in the esteemed President’s Rifle Match.
“I’ve gotten second place at everything you can get second place at,” he joked. “So, it’s kind of nice to win one.”
The 2024 President’s Rifle Match, known affectionately in the community as the President’s Hundred, served as Bahten’s 18th over his long career. The match has been in existence since 1894 and features a qualifying round of competition at 200, 300 and 600 yards from sitting, standing and prone positions. The top 100 athletes are named within the “President’s Hundred” and receive special recognition for their accomplishment, while the top 20 are entered into a spectator-friendly shoot off to determine the overall winner.
Bahten, of course, had reached as high as second overall in the past and was determined to finally reach that top spot as he approached the firing line at this year’s event – though, seemingly, not without the usual nerves.
“When I walked out to the 200-yard line in the morning – even now, having finished where I’ve been and shot as well as I have, I still get nervous on President’s Hundred Day,” he said. “My knees still shake shooting standing – still got to fight those jitters.”
The morning of the match was dark. He shot a 99 out of a possible 100 in standing, which felt like a decent start.
“If you did well on your feet, you’re setting yourself up for a good day,” he said.
Back at the 300, the wind was hard to put a number on. He noticed a lot of people being blown out to the right – fighting a left to right wind, which switched before swinging around straight from the back before the day was done.
He adjusted well at the 300, nailing seven center x-ring shots. At the 600, his first shot was a 10, just off the x-line at 11 o’clock – another good start.
“I had a good number on the wind,” he said. “It picked up and let off a little bit – I got caught for a 9 out of the right but was able to pull off another 99.”
Then, the shoot off happened.
“It got a little sporty,” he said with a laugh.
The shoot off started with sunlight, but an incoming strong wind swirled gusts up to around 20 miles per hour. Bahten’s windage on his first shot, used to adjust to the elements, was set at two-and-a-half minutes. It was spot on – a 10 – and he stuck with it.
“It kind of picked up a little bit. I got up to three minutes, favor right, and then I followed it down to three-quarter left with my last shot,” he said, indicating tricky conditions on the line.
The persistent wind not only presented challenges for competitors but was also enough to spin the atmosphere – pushing a line of clouds and heavy storms toward the range that hit during the heart of the shoot off. Rain dumped from the sky, creating even more tests of skill for those on the firing line.
“I just focused on the conditions,” Bahten said. “Once the rain starts falling on your scope – it starts obscuring your target. You get rain on your safety glasses. I shoot with a lot of head pressure, so once my stock starts to get slippery, it gets a little bit funny. So, I’m wiping it off every shot, but my sweat rag was completely saturated, so that didn’t work so well.”
“I wasn’t bothered by the rain, but I fought the obstacles of the rain,” he went on. “Mentally, it doesn’t really change anything because everybody’s getting rained on. You’ve got to keep powering through.”
With each careful shot, he inched closer and closer to victory. The rain was secondary to his determination – he wanted the chance to etch his name onto the President’s Rifle Trophy and into its century-old history.
“I’m not here to be in the Hundred, I’m out here to win it all,” he said with confidence.
He did just that – marking an overall score of 391-16X and a milestone that Bahten had sought for nearly two decades along his impressive career.
Bahten began in marksmanship around eight years old when he shot with his grandma at a campground in the mountains – using a pellet gun as pest control. His interest grew when he was introduced to competitive shooting at a winter smallbore safety and fundamental training course led by members of the popular junior team, the California Grizzlies.
He began in the program when he was 10 and eventually graduated to the highpower rifle discipline with an M1A for three years before moving on to the AR-15. In 2009, he was the Junior National Champion at the NRA National Matches. That same year, he was also on the record-setting team that overtook the National Matches Infantry Trophy Match – the only junior team to win the event until 2024 when Wisconsin “Cheddar” became the second to achieve the same success.
As time went on, Bahten looked to develop his talents even more. Fellow Grizzly Ty Cooper joined the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit and offered Bahten a place on the team. Bahten put it off for a few years and helped coach in California before ultimately taking Cooper up on his offer in 2011. Bahten has remained an integral member of the USAMU ever since.
During that time, he has also developed many meaningful relationships with fellow competitors of all backgrounds, including Haley Robinson (current record holder for the President’s High Junior and High Female awards), who helped keep his family connected to his remarkable win, even from afar.
“Haley Robinson was FaceTiming my wife during the shoot off. She was crying,” he said. “It was nice to share it with them.”
His wife, Katie, was also a member of the USAMU, on the service pistol side, and is an accomplished three-gunner.
“She has more titles than I do. She’s cooler than me,” Bahten said with a smile.
Now, through his unwavering poise and clear talent, Bahten and his family have one more title to celebrate.
“It’s nice to finally win one,” he repeated.
Other noteworthy performers of the 2024 President’s Rifle Match included Bahten’s USAMU teammate and former California Grizzly SPC Amber Kingshill, 21, of Columbus, GA, who earned the High Woman title and 13th overall, as well as Cole Aussieker, 18, who earned High Junior. David Strickland, 63, of Marietta, OH, earned the High Senior honor and 15th overall.
Find a complete list of results of the 2024 National Trophy Rifle and National Games Matches at https://ct.thecmp.org/24NMRifleResults. Photos of all events of the 2024 National Matches may be viewed and downloaded for free at https://cmp1.zenfolio.com/f456222492.
The Civilian Marksmanship Program is a federally chartered 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation. It is dedicated to firearm safety and marksmanship training and to the promotion of marksmanship competition for citizens of the United States. For more information about the CMP and its programs, log onto www.TheCMP.org.
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